Real Estate's new-ish album,
Atlas...:
- ...is a continuation of, but
not a progression from, their previous album, Days
- ...is kind of a let down
because it is kind of
more of the same we got on Days
- ...begins to seem like less of a
let down when you get over the above two facts
- ...is a sign that I am bad
at predicting what direction a band will take, because I thought
they might pick up on the lengthy outro jam of the closing track of
Days, 'All The Same',
and their admitted love for Phish and maybe produce their version of
Marquee Moon
- ...feels like the kind of
album that makes the album that came before it seem even more
perfect and fresh by comparison. See also Radiohead's In
Limbo making us all realize In
Rainbows is one of the best
things they've ever done, Battles's Gloss Drop makes
us all realize Mirrored
is the sort of album that comes only once per generation and once
per band, etc.
5a) Atlas
also makes the album The Flower Lane
by Ducktails (Real Estate guitarist Matt Mondanille's solo
band/side project) seem more perfect and fresh by comparison, but
I'm one of those people who think it's as good as Days
or Mac DeMarco's 2.
So.
5b) Speaking of Mac Demarco,
you should go watch the documentary about him on Pitchfork called
Pepperoni Playboy.
It is all sorts of incredible and makes me angry that I haven't had
the chance to really groove on his new album yet.
- ...kind of bums me out,
because I feel like this band is rushing into maturity, writing
songs about serious relationship issues and commitment to a spouse
and real heavy stuff
like that. Wasn't this the band that just 5 years ago was giving us
an anthem with the lyrics “Budweiser/Sprite/til you feel alright”?
6a) Maybe it is just what
happens to everyone who is in their mid to late 20s. You start to
realize that life isn't going to last forever. Being well over two
decades into your journey, you start to question if everything
you're doing I right. And I can tell you, it only gets worse when
you enter your 30s.
- ...feels like a parallel to
Beach House's Bloom
and The Walkmen's Heaven,
in that it doesn't best the album that came before it, but you still
end up loving it and listening to it a lot once you get over the
initial disappointment that it's not going to end up one of your top
two favorite albums by them.
7a) This is, of course, assuming
you're a music nerd weirdo like me who thinks so much about music
that he assigns top favorite status to specific albums by specific
bands as if it matters, really, to anyone. Ever.
- ...has a few of the band's
all-time best songs. Now that they're three albums and a handful of
singles and EPs into their career, I think we can begin to start
making “best of” mixes and imaginary “greatest hits” albums.
8a) This is, of course, assuming
you're a music nerd weirdo like me who makes “best of” mixes and
imaginary “greatest hits” albums.
- My Grandpa died today. He
was 98. And even though we were very far from close, and he didn't
have enough personality or conversation to fill a Dixie cup, he was
still my Grandpa, and the world still lost something today. This
review, however pathetic of an offering it is, is my attempt to put
something back into the world on a day when I otherwise would just
have come home, drank some beer, and listened to 20 Jazz
Funk Greats by Throbbing
Gristle and Alien Soundtracks
by Chrome over and over.
9a) Now, I feel like listening
to Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong. I doubt my
Grandpa liked them or any music, but it's the best I can do.
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